February 29, 2004

IRAQI JEWS II

Iraq’s nationhood emerged out of the defeat of the Turks during World War I. Many thousands of Jews volunteered to fight in the Middle-East against the Turks in what came to be known as the Jewish Legion under the leadership of British General Allenby. INFO

One small contingent of that army was a group of 100 Jews, volunteers from Iraq, headed by two Jewish officers who came to fight under the banners of King Hussein against the Turks.

The British and French officers tried to separate these volunteers from other Iraqis and employ them in the Palestine front but did not succeed. They insisted on service under the Arab flag. At the end of the war, Iraqi Jews joined muslim and Christian leaders to ask for an independent national Iraqi government to be formed in accordance with the Allies' Declaration. Among these Iraqi Jews, Sasson Heskel became the first Minister of Finance of independent Iraq under King Faisal I; Ezra Daniel, and before him, his father Menahem Daniel, were senators; Yahuda Zelouf, who for many years was chairman of the Jewish Council, was elected deputy for Baghdad in the Parliament of 1933.

These Jews, proud of their Iraqi heritage, were as much a part of Iraq and Iraqi history as their Arab countrymen.

February 28, 2004

OUR FRIENDS THE IRAQI SHIITES

"My feeling is, as long as the Palestinian problem exists, as long as there is a state of war, then we should not allow the Jews to return," said Muhammad Bahaddin Saladin, a member of the Governing Council. "The minister of defense in Israel is an Iraqi Jew. Should we let him return?"

Of course not, he might start drinking shiite blood.

CALLING SEAN PENN, JIM MC'DERMOTT AND CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR

While the Democrats continue their temper tantrums over our failure to enlist the U.N in our war on Saddam, our success in that war is exposing extraordinary depths of corruption. The high minded UN diplomats, actors and journalists who prattled on endlessly about the horrors of "Bush's war" turn out to have been in the pocket of Saddam. According to this report in the NY Times:

"...In the high-flying days after Iraq was allowed to sell its oil after 10 years of United Nations sanctions, the lobby of the Rashid Hotel in Baghdad was the place to be to get a piece of the action.

That was where the oil traders would gather whenever a journalist, actor or political figure would arrive in Iraq and openly praise Mr. Hussein. Experience taught them that the visitor usually returned to the hotel with a gift voucher, courtesy of the Iraqi president or one of his aides, representing the right to buy one million barrels or more of Iraqi crude.

The vouchers had considerable value. With the major oil companies monopolizing most Persian Gulf oil, there was fierce competition among smaller traders for the chance to buy Iraqi oil. And as long as Iraq kept its oil prices low enough, traders could make a tidy profit, even after buying the voucher and paying the surcharge.

"We used to joke that if you get one million barrels, you could make $200,000," Mr. Faraj, of SOMO, added, referring to a period when the vouchers sold for about 20 cents per barrel. "And yet the ones who got it were those people who used to come here and praise Saddam for his stand against imperialism..."

KEEPING IT LEGAL: WOMEN AND SHARIA LAW

        There is concern in the Arab world that the hated George W. Bush will not permit the imposition of Islamic Sharia law as the governing legal system in Iraq. The Saudi newspaper Arab News inveighs: "...The Shariah, the laws that govern Muslims, is divinely ordained. Iraq’s 25-member Governing Council wants to do nothing less, but also nothing more, than have Shariah be the law of the land in Iraq. But US President George Bush and his man in Iraq, Paul Bremer, say no. “Our position is clear,” Bremer announced. The Shariah “can’t be law” in Iraq “until I sign it.”And chances of that happening appear slim. The West believes that victors not only get the spoils of war, but get to author new laws of the land as well..." The author of the article is especially offended by our Western insistence that the rights of women not be taken away via Shariah law. Sarah Whalen, described as an "expert in Islamic law", writes: "... the Bush administration seeks to defeat the Shariah’s reception into Iraqi law by manipulating the very heart of Muslim society — its family life, and its women..."
        Here is Mufti Ebrahim Desai answering a young Muslim's urgent question: when is it alright to rape a jihad slave woman? (hat tip to Charles Johnson)
        "...the wisdom underlying the permission granted by Shariah to copulate with a slave woman is as follows: The LEGAL possession that a Muslim receives over a slave woman from the "Ameerul-Mu'mineen" (the Islamic Head of State) gives him legal credence to have coition with the slave woman in his possession, just as the marriage ceremony gives him legal credence to have coition with his wife. In other words, this LEGAL POSSESSION is, in effect, a SUBSTITUTE of the MARRIAGE CEREMONY. A free woman cannot be 'possessed', bought or sold like other possessions; therefore Shariah instituted a 'marriage ceremony' in which affirmation and consent takes place, which gives a man the right to copulate with her. On the other hand, a slave girl can be possessed and even bought and sold, thus, this right of possession, substituting as a marriage ceremony, entitles the owner to copulate with her. A similar example can be found in the slaughtering of animals; that after a formal slaughtering process, in which the words, "Bismillahi Allahu Akbar" are recited, goats, cows, etc.; become "Halaal" and lawful for consumption, whereas fish becomes "Halaal" merely through 'possession' which substitutes for the slaughtering.
        In other words, just as legal possession of a fish that has been fished out of the water, makes it Halaal for human consumption without the initiation of a formal slaughtering process; similarly legal possession of a slave woman made her Halaal for the purpose of coition with her owner without the initiation of a formal marriage ceremony..."

        The silence of Western feminists on the treatment of women under Sharia law is deafening. It is evidence for the power of hatred--the shared hatred of George W. Bush--to override even self interest. Better that women live under Sharia law, than that George W. Bush be supported in his endeavour to change the Arab world.

February 27, 2004

JOHN KERRY: HE WAS ONLY FOLLOWING ORDERS

        "There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire. I used 50 calibre machine guns, which we were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search and destroy missions, in the burning of villages. All of this is contrary to the laws of warfare, all of this is contrary to the Geneva Conventions and all of this is ordered as a matter of written established policy by the government of the United States from the top down. And I believe that the men who designed these, the men who designed the free fire zone, the men who ordered us, the men who signed off the air raid strike areas, I think these men, by the letter of the law, the same letter of the law that tried Lieutenant Calley, are war criminals."
-- John Kerry, on NBC's "Meet the Press" April 18, 1971

HORSEFEATHERS TRAVEL TIPS

Horsefeathers feels the pain of our readers, especially those shivering through another brutal winter and unwilling to wait for the happy day when global warming reaches the Northeast. For an unusual vacation destination, consider the sunny climes of friendly Saudi Arabia. Just be sure to read the last paragraph so as to reduce the possibilities for being detoured to a Saudi jail.

Tourists invited to Saudi sea and sun

February 25, 2004

WHODUNNIT? THE NEW TESTAMENT VERSION OF CLUE

Who killed Jesus? The Jews? Caiaphas? Pilate? The Romans? Mel Gibson?

Any one who is still not sick of the media coverage, the hype, the pictures, the reviews, and interviews with Reverend Tom of the Hosanna Puts and Calls Christian Fellowship, Father Dick of Our Lady of Perpetual Guilt, and Pastor Harry of the Low Cap Baptist Church can now get closure and relief from Horsefeathers.

God killed Jesus.

All of Christian theology depends on the death and resurrection of Jesus. Without Jesus suffering and dying for the sins of his followers there is no Christian faith.

Here is the evidence:

In Mark 14:35 “And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; Take away this cup from me: nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt.”

In Matthew 26:42 “He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.”

Finally, Jesus’ death and resurrection is central because as Paul says in I Corinthians 15:14 “…if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”

God Dunnit. Case closed.

Now, for godsake, let’s get some sleep.

February 24, 2004

DRAMACIDAL MANIAC LOOSE OFF-BROADWAY

This morning the chief drama critic of the The New York Times killed an innocent, interesting, well-wrought play in cold blood. The play, called “Big Bill,” is by A.R. Gurney, one of our leading playwrights and one who has given Broadway and off-Broadway many hours of entertainment. It is about the life of the tennis champion Bill Tilden, whose life was blighted late in his career by involvement in homosexual assignations with teenagers for which he was convicted and served two jail terms.

The play celebrates Tilden’s contributions to modern tennis—some call him the father of modern tennis—and his great sportsmanship and artistry. It also explores his inner struggles with pederastic inclinations. Gurney draws a skilled and fascinating portrait of an imperfect champion, and the actors do more than justice to this worthy evening of drama.

Enter Killer Brantley. Ben Brantley is a gay man who by virtue of his position as chief theater critic of the Times is the most influential theater critic in America. Ordinarily he is harmless; the worst that can be said of him is that he practices a kind of journalistic Onanism when he finds himself in the grip of his own theatricality and has a critical orgasm in the midst of hyping some new production or star he has fallen madly in love with. That is, if they appeal to his gay sensibilities—because his taste is larded with gay sensibility.

Everybody has heard of the military-industrial complex, but have you heard of the gay media-theatrical complex? Brantley is a key figure in this powerful cultural network of journalists, directors, and playwrights. It is a small, tight little world, in which there is much mutual support for the promotion of gay sensibility.

You can be sure that when a new production comes along that veers too far in the direction of straight values Brantley will subtly or not so subtly sabotage its chances for success.

“Big Bill” is a good example of how the technique works. Here’s how Brantley opens his review: “Are you addicted to scandal-scented, fact-filled television shows about celebrities but feel that you should get off that couch for at least one night? Then you might consider the Lincoln Center Theater production ‘Big Bill,’ A. R. Gurney's talking résumé of a play about the great American tennis star Bill Tilden.”

How’s that for snide? Not even a substantive word about the play. He uses other meaningless words and phrases like “flaccid direction”—what does a play with full erect direction look like, Horsefeathers wonders—and “intriguingly mannered” to put readers off. Almost everything in his review is negative and quibbling. The review reminds us of the old saying, “If you’re looking to beat a dog, you’ll find a stick to beat it with.”

If Brantley had been more honest with himself he would have said that he didn’t like the play because of what was being said about Tilden’s homosexuality. Gurney sees Tilden as a suffering but imperfect human being, rather than a victim. He depicts Tilden as struggling against his pathologically self-destructive impulses rather than joyously, compassionately, accepting himself as gay.

What is really wrong is that Brantley’s gay myopia makes it inconceivable for him to accept the conflicted human portrait of a man who would rather see himself as a sportsman and a champion than a gay.

February 23, 2004

OBJECT OF MODO'S SCORN: DONALD RUMSFELD

        Next time Maureen Dowd pens one of her sickening screeds about "Rummy", recall how it was on 9-11-2001. Here is Rowan Scarborough looking back on that day:

        "...The time was 1:02 p.m., less than four hours after terrorists steered American Flight 77 into the Pentagon's southwest wall. Rumsfeld at first had dashed to the impact site. In his shirt and tie, he helped transport the wounded. Finally convinced to leave the scene, Rumsfeld entered the closely guarded ESC, where whiffs of burned rubble penetrated the ventilation system. The video monitor in front of him was blank, but there was an audio connection with the president at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
        Rumsfeld's instant declaration of war, previously unreported, took America from the Clinton administration's view that terrorism was a criminal matter to the Bush administration's view that terrorism was a global enemy to be destroyed..."

        So here, with apologies to Rudyard Kipling is Horsefeathers tribute to Mr. Rumsfeld:

                   RUMMY

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Rummy this, an' Rummy that, an' "Rummy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Rumsfeld", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Rumsfeld", when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Rummy this, an' Rummy that, an' "Rummy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Rumsfeld" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Rumsfeld" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Rummy this, an' Rummy that, an' "Rummy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Rummy this, an' Rummy that, an' "Rummy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Rummy this, an' Rummy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Rummy this, an' Rummy that, an' anything you please;
An' Rummy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Rummy sees!

PSYCHOBABBLE ALERT: A VICTIM OF WORK STRESS

Surely we can all empathize with a sufferer from depression--especially when it is induced by the stress of hard work. Let us extend our empathy to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. After all, it's hard work developing an Islamic atom bomb and presiding over a supermarket of nuclear secrets. Perhaps adjusting his anti-depressants will help him to continue his work in a better mood.

A hero and very wealthy, but Dr Khan is still depressed
"...Dr Khan's personal psychiatrist, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Telegraph that the 68-year-old scientist suffered from chronic depression, acute anxiety, hypertension and insomnia for many years. The doctor, who treated Dr Khan for a decade, said that work stress was his most serious problem..."

See the rest here

February 21, 2004

HEY, MEL WHO GETS TO RUN THE POPCORN CONCESSION?

Horsefeathers wonders whether Mel Gibson really took the trouble to think this thing through. We understand that the price of admission for his new film “The Passion of the Christ,” is thirty pieces of silver, but, for Christ’s sake, you can make a fortune from the refreshment concession. Doesn’t he realize that?

Of course he’d have to reconceptualize it a bit. Uh…refreshment…is not exactly in the spirit of the film. Jesus, he wouldn’t want it to be business as usual: M and Ms, Peanut Brittle, Mars Bars, small, medium and extra large Cokes, barrels of low-carb popcorn.

He’d have to call it something like Righteous Refreshments. Maybe IT could feature Passover items, like bitter herbs, or matzoh balls and Maneschewitz Kosher Wine.

For those who want to get more into the spirit of the film there could be vinegar flavored Snapple, or a warm beverage made of blood,sweat, and tears. Or how about some Gall and Wormwood drops for the exciting parts of the passion.

And to remember the event in one’s golden years how about a crown of thorns—one size fits all—in a nice plastic box made to look like a piece of the cross.

And for his sequel—Resurrection—Gibson can do a loaves and fishes concession. God knows there’s no end of ways to make a fortune.

SEND IN THE GRIEF COUNSELORS

        In our age of therapy, everyone is presumed to be a potential sufferer from a form of mental illness called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, requiring therapeutic help. Since each of us has our own subjective vulnerability, this traumatic state may be induced by virtually any unanticipated event ranging from a scary movie to a devastating terrorist attack. And according to the grief counselors, the failure to develop symptoms may not be evidence of resiliency and strength but rather of 'denial' (pathological), and thus require even more urgent professional help.
        Immediately following 9-11 these 'caring professionals' proclaimed a mental health catastrophe that might damage millions. Dr. Sally Satel has pointed out the absurd overestimates of the need for their services. She writes of "...the predictions that there would be a national, if not NYC-wide, epidemic of PTSD after 9-11. There wasn’t. Report after report from area hospitals in NYC showed that few new clients came for help. People who came were overwhelmingly those with pre-existing psych problems. Even numbers of prescriptions for tranquilizers and antidepressants did not differ much, if at all (depending upon the survey), from the years before..."
        Of course, mere facts cannot slow down the grief industry. Facts can be interpreted to mean a more aggressive outreach for those 'in denial' is required. Now, however, therapists may have found a new, growing clientele--al Qaeda fighters, mentally traumatized by our insistence on killing, capturing and imprisoning them.
        Steven Morris, in The Guardian, tugs at readers' heartstrings with a portrait of the mental suffering endured by captured al Qaeda fighters: "Traumatised detainees face difficult time back in Britain, mental health specialists express their concern." What would we do without such caring experts? After all, we are informed, "...the men are likely to have been severely traumatised by their ordeals and could find it hard to adapt to life outside the prison camp..." and "Amnesty International says the detainees have suffered "severe psychiatric distress", while the International Committee of the Red Cross has described them as having a "feeling of isolation and despair". Dr James Thompson, who has researched post traumatic stress disorder in hostages, said that the men may have suffered not only in Camp Delta but in the events which led up to their detention. "It is likely to be a very complicated picture," he added. Thanks for that profundity Dr. Thompson.
        Horsefeathers favors a military approach over a therapeutic one, when dealing with terrorists. Whatever mental and physical suffering they endure is desirable and actually insufficient when compared with the sudden deaths inflicted on 3000 innocents and the ripple effects on their survivors. In Dr. Johnson's words "The prospect of being hanged in a fortnight, concentrates the mind wonderfully". Grief counseling is no substitute for inflicting maximum physical and psychological trauma on our enemies.

February 20, 2004

OUR TOLERANT FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS

A report on the gay scene in Saudi Arabia includes the following:

"...The paradox of Saudi Arabia is that while the executioner's sword awaits anyone convicted of the crime of sodomy, in practice homosexuality is tolerated..."

"I don't feel oppressed at all," said one, a 23-year-old who was meeting in one of the coffee shops with a group of self-identified "gay" Saudi friends dressed in Western clothes and speaking fluent English. "I heard that after 11 September, a Saudi student who was going to be deported on a visa technicality applied for political asylum because he was gay," he added, provoking laughter from the others. "What was he thinking of? We have more freedom here than straight couples. After all, they can't kiss in public like we can, or stroll down the street holding one another's hand."
        Of course, tolerance has its limits and, "...the treatment of gay men here received international attention when an Interior Ministry statement reported in January 2002 that three men in the southern city of Abha had been "beheaded for homosexuality"..." But, lest we get the wrong idea that such beheadings are inhumane, we're informed that these men actually "...were beheaded for the sexual abuse of boys. A gov't spokesman said: "I would guess there's sodomy going on daily in Saudi Arabia, but we don't have executions for it all the time."
What a relief to learn that sometimes the executioner's services are not required!

OUR FRIENDS THE RUSSIANS, GERMANS AND FRENCH

        John Kerry has repeatedly blaimed failed Bush administration diplomacy for French, Russian and German opposition to our war effort in Iraq. The notion that we alienated our "friends" is based on a typical utopian assumption: we have no real enemies, only friends we've alienated by our provocative behavior. Thus if "Old Europe" worked against us in the UN, it's we who are to blame. Had Kerry been President we would have been more empathic to their concerns. It's simply inconceivable to the utopian, U.N. loving mind, that those nations preferred to leave a tyrant in place for reasons of self interest. Fortunately, one benefit of our "unilateral" (sic) action, is to have uncovered the dirty little secrets of Saddam's regime. We learn that the UN oil for food program was a thoroughly corrupt enterpise that helped Saddam retain power by buying off important businesses, individuals and governments.

        Memri lists the companies and individuals now known to have supplied Saddam with illegal materials in return for oil money. Lo and behold, Russia, France and Germany turn out to be home to many of Saddam's bribe takers. No wonder their governments fought so hard to keep him in power and to keep the U.S. tied down at the U.N. When can we expect to see Kofi Annan calling for investigation of his own organization's complicity? Inquiring minds want to know: how does Mr. Annan pay for those Saville Row suits and dinners at Rao's?

February 18, 2004

OUR FRIENDS THE SAUDIS: DEFENDING AGAINST THE INFIDELS

200 Arrested in Mina for Celebrating Valentine’s Day

JEDDAH, 18 February 2004 — The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has arrested more than 200 Bangladeshi and Burmese workers as they celebrated Valentine’s Day in Mina...

The grand mufti condemned the partygoers: “What these workers did in a holy place by celebrating and singing and drinking alcohol is a very grave sin,” Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh told the daily. “Committing a sin in a holy place is doubly sinful. Valentine’s is an infidel tradition that has no place in Islam", he added.
See the rest here.

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